Doctor Who, "Season 23"

 

This has been an interesting walk down a path untraveled. Some Season 23 story outlines were never adapted in this format, and a couple of stories included were never exactly intended for the original Season 23. What we have here instead is a weird Frankenstein hodge-podge.

Thanks to the able work of Big Finish, it feels like they do make up a sort of cohesive season with a similar tone. Colin and Nicola always give it their all, elevating even the worse material. I can't blame Big Finish too much for the bad ones, since they're based on old drafts. Can't polish turds into diamonds, after all. The good ones transcend those limits, and probably would have been Colin classics if their TV counterparts had resembled the audios at all.

In the alternate reality where Season 23 came out looking like this, would it have been better or worse than Trial of a Time Lord? I have no way of knowing yet; Trial is now the last season of Doctor Who that I've never seen before. I'll need to check it out and make that judgement for myself.

Here's the score breakdown.

The Nightmare Fair - 5.00

Mission to Magnus - 2.00

Leviathan - 7.00

The Hollows of Time - 8.00

Paradise 5 - 8.00

Point of Entry - 9.00

The Song of Megaptera - 8.00

The Macros - 5.00

Best episode: Point of Entry - 9.00
Runner-up: Paradise 5 - 8.00
Worst episode: Mission to Magnus - 2.00

"Season 23" average: 6.50

Best guest appearance: David Garfield as "Professor Stream" (The Hollows of Time)
Best mental image: The green rust consuming the fog-laden USS Eldridge (The Macros)
Best musical score: Paradise 5 (Simon Robinson)

Before I do discover what Trial has in store, however, there's just one further stopping point on the way. Slipback is next.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 2 June 2024.)